Mediating Health and Democracy: Digital Infrastructures, Youth Agency, and Health in Cameroon

Young people in Cameroon are increasingly using internet platforms to deal with day-to-day issues as the country’s healthcare systems deal with structural limitations, persistent political unrest, and low levels of democratic participation. The relationship between young agency, health accessibility, and democratic governance in Cameroon is examined in this study, along with the mediating function of digital infrastructures. 300 young people in the North West and South West Regions were surveyed as part of the study’s quantitative approach. With 75.3% of young people saying that digital information influences their own health decisions, the findings show that social media platforms (89%) are the primary source of health information, encouraging a critical and active youth agency. However, there is a notable “participation gap”: only 9% have participated in health policy conversations online, despite 86.7% believing they have the ability to influence health policy and 54% considering social media to be the most effective lobbying channel. According to the study’s findings, young capacity building and informal health advocacy benefit greatly from digital tools, but formal democratic involvement suffers from structural and political barriers. In order to fully utilise the democratic potential of youth agency for health equity, the study suggests policy initiatives to reduce the participation gap through co-designed digital discourse channels, multi-level digital literacy programs, and infrastructure investment.